Cutting apparatus.



v 3. IJAVE'B. CUTTING APPARATUS. APPLICATION PILED. JAN. a1, 1908.

903,273. Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

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S. DAVIS. CUTTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 31, 1900.

903,273. Patentd Nov. 10, 1908.

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' bFifiNUER DAVIS, OF .UAZEL'ION, KANSAS.

comma APPARATUS.

Specification 01 Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 10, 1903.

' Application filed January 81, 1908. Serial No. 413,523.

T 0 all whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, SPENCER DAvrs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hazelton, in the county of Barber and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cutting Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

In my U. S. Patent 1N0. 816,650, dated April 3, 1006, there is disclosed an invention re ating to the cutting a jiparatus of harvcs ters, having for its ob ect toproduce a shear cut by the blades and also to make them self sharpening, by having blades which are tilted so that their cutting edges cross the edges of the ledger plates at an angle.

The present invention is an improvement which operates on the same principle, but which uses different means for producing the same results.

The present invention maybe quickly and easily a plied to most of the standard mowing mac mes, and able to operate in a manner somewhat more efiicicnt than old devices for the same purpose.

. By means of the present invention the knives secured to the cutter bar are caused to press closely against or upon the ledger plates of the guard fingers, sprin s being used to effect the pressure and to low the knives to ass over the edges of the ledger plates, which cooperate with the edges of -the nives to produce the cut.

The present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of the cutter bar, with the parts in one position. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the parts .in another position. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the devices at the heel of the cutter bar. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the de vices at the outer end of the cutter bar. Fig. 5 is a vertical section across the parts shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail in end elevation of one of the parts shown in Fi 3.

Referring specifically to the drawings, the finger bar is indicated at 6, the guard fingers at 7, the reciprocating cutter bar at 8, and the knives at 0, those parts bein of theusual or ordinary coimtruction, as we ll as clips 10 under which the cutter bar travels and which assist in holding the in place.

At its heel or inner end the cutter bar is .rovided with a post 1. 1.projectin upwardly mm a base iece 12 which is bolted to the cutter bar. he base 12 extends lengthwise along the cutter bar a s'u'll'icient distance to afford room for several bolts, to connect the same firmly to the cutter bar. I The base plate is stren thened by a rib 13 which terminates in a 'all 14, which is connected to the well known socket of the pitman 15, b means of which the cutter bar is reciprocate At the top the post 11 is reduced, as indicated at 16, forming a circular in or wrist which receives the head 17 of a oil; 18, the head having an eye or hole in which the pin fits; and the bolt is free to turn, to a limited extent, on the )in, restin upon the shoulder at the top of te post. he bolt is held on the post by means of a cross in 19 which is inserted horizontally throng the head and through a semi-circular groove 20 formed in the side of the bearin 16.

\lounted upon the heel of the finger bar, directly behind. the parts above described,'is a post 21 having an angular base piece 22 which is bolted to the finger bar, preferably by the same bolts used to connect the first two guard fingers to said bar. At the top the ost 21 has a'pin bearing 23 in-all respects 81111581110 the bearing 16, and said pin 23 receives the square head 24 of a bolt 25, and is fastened thereon by a cross pin 26, as above described. The arts are so constructed that the bolts 25 and 18 register with each other, and they are connected by'a sleeve 29 which fits over the adjacent ends of the bolts. The sleeve is fastened to the bolt 25 by. a cross pin 30 the ends of which extend beyond the. sleeve in order to retain in lace a spring 31 which is coiled around the s eeve in comre'lassion between the heads 17 and 24 of the 0 ts.

The inner end of plate 12, under the ball 14, is sli htly thicker at its front edge, as indicate at 32, than at its rear edge, and this gives the cutter bar a slight cant or tilt downwardly and forwardl so that the points of the knives are somew lat depressed.

Near the outer end of the finger bar is a device similar in many respects to the parts above described. It has a post 11 bolted to the cutter bar, and a post 21 mounted upon the finger bar, with bolts 17 and 24 mounted to oscillate upon said )osts in the same manner as above describe together with a spring 31 a sleeve 29 and other similar associated arts. The post 21 is somewhat dillerent in shape, having base parts 22 set at an angle to each other, and preferably the proppr distance :1 art to receive the attacholts of the a jacent guard fingers.

- creased accordingly. The posts are so set that at the outer end.

As indicated above, the springs 31 and 31 a l are in com ression between the heads of the bolts, and y their pressure tend to de ress or tilt down the points of the knives. hen the cutter bar is reciprocated it is obvious that the distance between the osts will be increased, and that the oscillating bolts will turn upon their pivot pins to accommodate the movement, the bolts 17 and 17 working in and out in the sleeve 29 and 29. Also, when the distance between the posts is increased, the tension of the springs will be dewith respect to the knives and the finger bar that the posts are in line with each other, and consequently closer together, when the oints of the knives are midway between the fingers, as shown in Fig. 1: in other words, at the mid-stroke. At either end of the stroke the posts are farther apart, and the knives are in line with the fin ers, as shown in Fig. 2. The effect of this is that at mid-stroke the points of the knives are de ressed somewhat between the fingers, wit 1 their edges resting u on the ed es of the ledger plates, and as t e cutter bar is reciprocate-d the edges of the knives ride up the cooperating edges of the led er plates and in tight contact therewith, Elie springs, however, easing off a little as the knives reach the end of the stroke, in conse uence of the elongation of the springs inci'ent to the increase of distance between the osts. The result of this action is that the e gas of the knives and the led er plates are in slightly crossed planes, an so are held in contact .to produce a shear cut, and since only the edges of the blades are in contact, said edges will be automatically sharpened by such contact.

In the/drawings, one of the devices is shown at the heel .of the cutter bar and :inother near the outer end. thereof, and this 4 will ordinarily be suilicient, but for machines having particularly long bars one or more additional devices may be used, similar to lclaimz,

1. In a cutting apparatus, the combina tion of a finger bar, a reciprocating cutter bar thereon, posts pro'ecting upwardly from-said bars ,and springs etween the posts, tending to depress the points of the cutters carried by the cutter bar.

2. In a cutting apparatus, the combination of a finger bar, a reciprocating cutter bar thereon, posts projecting upwardly from said bars and having bearings at the upper ends, bolts mounted on said bearings and havin a connecting sleeve, and springs coile around said belts, in compression between said osts.

3. n a cutting apparatus, the combination of a fin er bar, a cutter bar thereon having knives t 1e points of which are normally depressed between the fingers, and springs between the bars, tending to depress said points the tension of the springs being greater when the knives are between the fingers, and lessler when the knives are in aline nent therewit 1.

4. In a cutting apparatus, the combination of a finger bar, a reciprocating cutter bar thereon, posts projecting upwardly from said bars, the posts being directly opposite each other at-mid-stroke, when the knives are between the fingers, and at either side of each other when the knives are in line with the fingers, and an extensible connection between the upper ends of the posts, including springs in compression therebetween.

5. .n a cutting apparatus, the combination of a finger bar, a reciprocating cutter bar thereon, opposite posts projectin upwardly from said bars respectively and iaving u right bearing studs at the top, an extensib e connection between said posts, arranged to oscillate laterally upon said bearings when the cutter bar'is reciprocating, and including a s ring in compression between the posts.

11 testimony whereof I allix my signature,

in presence of two witnesses.

SPENCER DAVIS.

Witnesses:

ALBERT W. Moons, HENRY H. BROWN. 

